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| Dedication | 1836-03-27 by Joseph Smith, Jr. |
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| Kirtland Temple | |
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| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
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| Location: | Kirtland, Ohio |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1833 |
| Architect: | Smith,Joseph; Et al. Year 1836 ( MDCCCXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Events 196 BC - Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt. 1309 - Pope Clement V excommunicates The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A National Historic Landmark (NHL is a Building, site, Structure, Object, or District, that is officially recognized by the For other places with the same name see Kirtland Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. |
| Architectural style(s): | Gothic, Federal |
| Added to NRHP: | June 04, 1969 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 69000145[1] |
| Governing body: | Private |
The Kirtland Temple is a registered National Historic Landmark in Kirtland, Ohio, USA, on the eastern edge of the Cleveland metropolitan area. The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A National Historic Landmark (NHL is a Building, site, Structure, Object, or District, that is officially recognized by the For other places with the same name see Kirtland Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state Owned and operated by the Community of Christ, the house of worship was the first temple to be built by the Latter Day Saint movement. In the Please see the talk page for this article and the "See also" list before adding content or adding a hyphen to Latter Day Saint The design mixes Federal, Greek Revival and Gothic Revival architectural styles. [2]
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Present day
Each year tens of thousands take tours of the temple. Members of various Latter Day Saint traditions also travel to the temple to hold 50 to 60 worship services and educational events each year. There are also community Thanksgiving service, Christmas Eve, and Holy Week services that are held at the Temple each year. Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American Holiday, which is a form of harvest festival. Christmas Eve, December 24, is the day before Christmas Day, the celebrated birthday of Jesus. Holy Week ( Latin: Hebdomada Sancta or Maior Hebdomada, "Greater Week" in Christianity is the last week before Easter.
A new Spiritual Formation and Visitor's center has been constructed and recently opened by Community of Christ. This center, opened in March 2007 and dedicated on 9 June 2007, enhances the worship, educational, and administrative ministries of the Temple by providing classroom space, worship space, a multi-use theater, offices, and historical and contemporary exhibits relating to the Temple, the Latter Day Saint Movement, and Community of Christ today. Events 53 - Roman Emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia 62 - Claudia Octavia commits Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The center's basic layout has been described by some as reflecting a dove. The center reflects various characteristics of the Temple in is visual appearance. Each Friday at noon in the Spiritual Formation Center the Friday Prayer for Peace is held which is based on the Daily Prayer for Peace at the Independence Temple. The Daily Prayer for Peace is a spiritual discipline unique to the Community of Christ and practiced at the Independence Temple in the church's headquarters campus Starting May 1st the Prayer for Peace will be held Daily at the Kirtland Temple and is expected to return to weekly in October.
Construction
Beginning in 1831, members of the Church of Christ under the direction of church founder and president Joseph Smith Jr., began to gather in the Kirtland area. Year 1831 ( MDCCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a See also Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (disambiguation The Church of Christ, later called Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was the In December 1832 Smith would report to have a revelation that would call for the construction of a house of worship, education, and order. On May 6, 1833, Smith reported that he had received a revelation from God, directing members of the church to construct "a house. Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 1833 ( MDCCCXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common . . wholly dedicated unto the Lord for the work of the presidency," "dedicated unto the Lord from the foundation thereof, according to the order of the priesthood. " Directions were given to build a "lower court and a higher court," and a promise given that the Lord's "glory shall be there, and [his] presence shall be there. " (LDS Doctrine & Covenants Section 94:3-9). This building which would have sat next to the Kirtland Temple was never started, nor the third building which was to be a house for the printing operations of the church. Instead the functions of this office building end up in the attic of the Kirtland Temple. The date of this document is also in question as it makes reference to the Kirtland Temple which is described in the following section of the Doctrine Covenants and dated June 1 1833.
Construction commenced soon thereafter, quarrying Berea sandstone from the base of Gildersleeve mountain[1], near Chillicothe Road, and gathering lumber from the surrounding area, especially the gravel pits of on the other side of Gildersleeve mountain along Hobart Road. Gildersleeve Mountain is a summit located in Kirtland, Ohio, United States, at.
Church members donated labor and building materials, including glass and pottery which was ground up into the stucco. Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water
The Kirtland Temple was not originally white on the exterior as it is today. The original exterior was a bluish-gray according to Truman Coe, a local minister in the 1830s. The roof is believed to have been red, and the front doors olive green. Presently, only the doors are the original color.
The first structure of its kind to be built by the Latter Day Saint movement, the Kirtland Temple is very different in purpose than the Nauvoo temple built in the 1840s. Please see the talk page for this article and the "See also" list before adding content or adding a hyphen to Latter Day Saint It is different in both design and purpose of the temples built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints portion of the movement in latter years as they embraced and grew from Nauvoo temple theology. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known
The lower inner court is used primarily for various worship services. It has two sets of pulpits, one set on either end, and the pews featured an adjustable design which allowed the audience to face either end. The second floor was designed for education, and was to house a school for church leaders known as the "School of Mine Apostles" (See School of the Prophets). In Mormonism, the School of the Prophets (also called the " school of the elders " or " school for the Prophets " was a select group of Use of the third floor alternated use between general academic classes during the day, Church quorum meetings in the evenings, the Kirtland Theological Institution, the School of the Elders (possibly an enlargement of the school of the prophets, and may have been destined to become the school of mine apostles), Church offices, including that of Smith, were also located on the third floor. At the time of construction, none of the ordinances associated with LDS temple worship, such as baptism by proxy, had been instituted. Baptism for the dead, vicarious baptism or proxy baptism is the religious practice of baptizing a living person on behalf of an individual who is dead
Truman O. Angell recorded in his journal that about this time Frederick G. Williams, one of President Smith's counselors, came into the temple one day during construction and related the following:
"Joseph received the word of the Lord for him to take his two counselors, Frederick G. Williams and Sidney Rigdon, and come before the Lord and He would show them the plan or model of the house to be built. Truman Osborn Angell ( June 5, 1810 &ndash October 16, 1887) served many years as Church Architect for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Frederick Granger Williams (1787&ndash1842 was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and served in the First Presidency as Second Counselor to church Frederick Granger Williams (1787&ndash1842 was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and served in the First Presidency as Second Counselor to church Sidney Rigdon ( 19 February 1793 – 14 July 1876) was an important figure in the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement. We went upon our knees, called on the Lord, and the building appeared within viewing distance. I being the first to discover it. Then all of us viewed it together. After we had taken a good look at the exterior, the building seemed to come right over us, and the makeup of this hall seemed to coincide with what I there saw to a minutia. " [2]
Temples of nearly identical design were planned at about the same time period in Missouri at Temple Lot (in Independence), Far West, and Adam-ondi-Ahman. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee The Temple Lot is a planned temple location in the Latter Day Saint movement in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri. Independence is a city in Jackson County in the US state of Missouri, and the fourth largest city in the state Far West Missouri, was a Latter Day Saint ( Mormon) settlement in Caldwell County Missouri. Adam-ondi-Ahman (sometimes clipped to Diahman) is a historic site along the east bluffs above the Grand River in Daviess County, Missouri. However, none were built because of the Mormon War which evicted the members from the state.
Dedication
The temple was dedicated in an eight-hour service on March 27, 1836. Events 196 BC - Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt. 1309 - Pope Clement V excommunicates Year 1836 ( MDCCCXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap A reported "one thousand persons" attended the gathering, which introduced such traditional dedication rites as the Hosanna Shout and singing of the hymn "The Spirit of God Like a Fire Is Burning. In Mormonism, a hosanna shout is an organized ritual by a congregation of shouting Hosanna. " The Spirit of God Like a Fire Is Burning " (also " The Spirit of God " or " Hosanna to God and the Lamb " is a Hymn of the " Following a two-and-a-half hour sermon given by Church leader Sidney Rigdon, Smith offered a dedicatory prayer that had been prepared by a committee of church leaders,[3] which he indicated was given to him by revelation. Sidney Rigdon ( 19 February 1793 – 14 July 1876) was an important figure in the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement. [4] Two other church leaders, Brigham Young and David W. Patten, were reported to have been inspired to speak in tongues following the prayer (Messenger and Advocate (March 1836)). Brigham Young (June 1 1801 &ndash August 29 1877 was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. David Wyman Patten (sometimes referred to as David Warren Patten) (November 14 1799 – October 25 1838 was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and Glossolalia is commonly called "speaking in tongues" For other uses of "speaking in tongues" see Speaking in Tongues (disambiguation. Truman O. Angell recorded in his journal the following account:
"When about midway during the prayer, there was a glorious sensation passed through the house [Kirtland Temple]; and we, having our heads bowed in prayer, felt a sensation very elevating to the soul. Truman Osborn Angell ( June 5, 1810 &ndash October 16, 1887) served many years as Church Architect for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day At the close of the prayer, F. G. Williams being in the upper east stand- -Joseph being in the speaking stand next below--rose and testified that midway during the prayer an holy angel came and seated himself in the stand. When the afternoon meeting assembled, Joseph, feeling very much elated, arose the first thing and said the personage who had appeared in the morning was the Angel Peter come to accept the dedication. "
Visions and miracles
On January 21, 1836, before the temple was completed, Smith reported the first of several visions received at the temple. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. As he and his associates performed a feet washing and anointing ritual, he saw "the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof. Foot washing or washing of feet is a religious Rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations. To anoint is to pour or smear with perfumed oil milk water melted butter or other substances a process employed ritually by many religions and races In Mormon Theology, there are three degrees of glory (alternatively kingdoms of glory) which are the ultimate eternal dwelling place for nearly all who . . [and] the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son. " Smith also reported seeing Adam, Abraham, and three family members who had previously died; this experience of Smith was canonized by the LDS Church as revelation and published as such for the first time in 1981. Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living Abraham ( Ashkenazi Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez:
Not long after the dedication, several more visions were reported. On April 3, Smith had his scribe, Warren Cowdery,[5] write down in his personal journal an account of a personal spiritual experience Smith and Oliver Cowdery had while praying in the pulpits. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Warren A Cowdery ( October 17, 1788 – February 23, 1851) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an editor of Oliver Hervy Pliny Cowdery ( 3 October 1806 – 3 March 1850) was the primary participant with Joseph Smith Jr In this experience Joseph states that he and Oliver saw Jesus Christ "standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) " According to Smith's account, Christ accepted the Church's dedication of the temple, and promised blessings according to their obedience. Following the conclusion of this vision of Christ, the account goes on to tell of Smith and Cowdery then receiving visions of Moses, Elias and Elijah. Moses ( Latin: Moyses,; Greek: grc Mωυσής in both the Septuagint and the New Testament; Arabic: ar موسىٰ Elias is the Latin transliteration of the Greek name Ἠλίας pronounced either [[IPA|elias] ] in most European languages or [[IPA|ə'lajəz] ] in English-speaking Elijah or Elias ( was a Prophet in Israel in the 9th century BC The account in Joseph Smith's Journal is the only known telling of this occurrence during Smith's lifetime. The LDS Church canonized it as section 110 of their Doctrine and Covenants in 1876.
Shifting ownership
Smith's time in Kirtland after the temple came into use was limited. In 1837, he became involved with the foundation of a bank known as the Kirtland Safety Society. The Kirtland Safety Society (KSS was a quasi- Bank organized in 1836 (and reorganized on January 2, 1837) by leaders and followers of the Church The failure of this bank was a factor that caused a schism among Latter Day Saints in Kirtland. The dissenters were led by Warren Parrish, Smith's former secretary, and included Martin Harris, one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. Warren Parrish ( also Warren Parish) (1803–1887 was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint or Mormonism movement Martin Harris ( May 18, 1783 &ndash July 10, 1875) underwrote the first printing of The Book of Mormon and also served as one of The Three Witnesses were a group of three early leaders of the Latter Day Saint movement who signed a statement in 1830 saying that an Angel had shown them The Book of Mormon is a Sacred text of the churches in the Latter Day Saint movement. Parrish's group took control of the temple and other church property. By the beginning of 1838, Smith was forced to flee the state, relocating to Far West, Missouri with hundreds of loyalists. Far West Missouri, was a Latter Day Saint ( Mormon) settlement in Caldwell County Missouri. After the Mormons moved west in 1838, the Temple was used by the Western Reserve Teacher's Seminary. Parrish's group dissolved and by 1841 the remaining Latter Day Saints in Kirtland had come back into communion with the main body of the church, which had subsequently relocated to Nauvoo, Illinois. There is also a Nauvoo Alabama, and a Nauvoo Pennsylvania Nauvoo ( is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois
A period of confusion followed the assassination of Smith in 1844 as rival leaders and factions vied for control of the temple. In 1845, the Kirtland Latter Day Saints under the leadership of S. B. Stoddard, Leonard Rich and Jacob Bump organized their own Mormon church in opposition to Brigham Young, James J. Strang and other leaders. Brigham Young (June 1 1801 &ndash August 29 1877 was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. James Jesse Strang (March 21 1813 &ndash July 9 1856 was one of three major contenders for leadership of the Latter Day Saint movement during the 1844 Succession Crisis This group later merged with a faction led by William E. M'Lellin whose president was David Whitmer, another of the Three Witnesses. William Earl M'Lellin ( January 18, 1806 – April 24, 1883) (often modernized to McLellin) was an early leader in the Latter David Whitmer ( January 7, 1805 &ndash January 25, 1888) was an early adherent of the Latter Day Saint movement who eventually became The Three Witnesses were a group of three early leaders of the Latter Day Saint movement who signed a statement in 1830 saying that an Angel had shown them
By 1848, another Latter Day Saint faction led by Hazen Aldrich and James Collin Brewster was organized in Kirtland and maintained control of the temple. Hazen Aldrich ( January 10, 1797 – 1873 ? 1886 ? was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. This faction also dissolved and most of the members who were in Kirtland eventually joined the Community of Christ (Then known as Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) led by Joseph Smith III. Joseph Smith III ( November 6, 1832 – December 10, 1914) was the eldest surviving son of Joseph Smith Jr
In 1880, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) (now known as Community of Christ) took part in the Kirtland Temple Suit in an attempt to gain clear title to the temple. The court opinion stated that the RLDS church was the lawful successor of the original church, but ultimately dismissed the case. Although the case had no legal bearing, the Community of Christ secured ownership of the temple through adverse possession by 1901 or earlier. In Common law, adverse possession is the process by which title to another's Real property is acquired without compensation, by as the name From 1874, Community of Christ has maintained the temple, which is open to visitors.
The local Community of Christ congregation met in the building on a regular basis for Sunday worship till the 1950s. Due to preservation concerns, a new church was built across the street (for the congregation) and the temple saw more direct management and funding from the world church. Today, the building is used for approximately 50 to 60 worship services, classes, retreats and other special events through out the year primarily by various Latter Day Saint denominations.
Unlike the later built Nauvoo Temple, the Kirtland Temple was never destroyed or burned down. The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, The same stones from the original construction are still in place today. Although the majority of church members left the Kirtland area for Missouri in 1838, the Kirtland Temple was never completely abandoned by the church. From its inception to the present day it has always been in the possession of members of the Latter Day Saint movement. It has been a place of worship and a symbol of the movement since it was dedicated in 1836.
Notes
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor
- ^ Chiat, Marilyn, North American Churches, Publishers International, Ltd. : 2004, p. 71.
- ^ Oliver Cowdery's Kirtland, Ohio Sketch Book as reprinted in BYU Studies 12:4 (1972). [Saturday, 26 March 1836] "This day our school did not keep, we prepared for the dedication of the Lord's house. I met in the president's room, pres. J. Smith, jr. S. Rigdon, my brother W. A. Cowdery & Elder W. Parrish, and assisted in writing a prayer for the dedication of the house. "
- ^ History of the Church, 2:420.
- ^ Faulring, Scott H. , ed. , An American Prophet's Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1987), 156 footnotes
References
- Roger Launius, The Kirtland Temple: A Historical Narrative. Independence, Missouri: Herald Publishing House, 1986. ISBN 0-8309-0449-2
- Truman O. Angell, Autobiography (1810-1856) in "His Journal," Our Pioneer Heritage 10 (1967):195-213.
- Elwin C. Robison, The First Mormon Temple: Design, Construction, and Historic Context of the Kirtland Temple, Provo, Utah: BYU Press, 1997. ISBN 0-8425-2333-2
- Marilyn Chiat, North American Churches. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International, Ltd. , 2004, p. . ISBN 1-4127-1020-0
See also
- Temple (Mormonism)
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
- Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
External links
- Wikisource - Kirtland Temple Dedication - Account of Kirtland Temple dedication from March 1836 issue of Messenger and Advocate, an early Latter Day Saint periodical
- Kirtland Temple - Official site
- Kirtland Temple--Main Floor Diagram
- Community of Christ - Official site
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Official site
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